Meaning & use

Dwells

verb·Everyday

Last updated

Lives in or at a specified place; resides. Also used figuratively to mean lingering on a particular thought or subject.

See it in a sentence

A family of foxes dwells in the old barn at the edge of the field.

He often dwells on mistakes he made years ago instead of moving forward.

A note on using this word

'Dwells' is the third-person singular present tense of the verb 'dwell,' which comes from an Old English word originally meaning 'to lead astray' or 'to linger.'

Words with a similar meaning

resideslivesinhabits

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

leavesabandons

Another way to use it

2. verb

To linger over or think, speak, or write at length about something, especially something negative.

She dwells on every small criticism she receives at work.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “Dwells”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.